with sixteen
thousand Saxons; but the defection of the Bavarians taught us what
confidence we could put in our allies.

Toward evening of the next day, we discovered the army of the north on
the plateau of Breitenfeld. This was sixty thousand more men for the
enemy. I can yet hear the maledictions levelled at Bernadotte--the
cries of indignation of those who knew him as a simple officer in the
army of the Republic, who cried out that he owed us all--that we made
him a king with our blood, and that he now came to give us the
finishing blow.

That night, a general movement rearward was made; our lines drew closer
and closer around Leipzig; then all became quiet. But this did not
prevent our reflecting; on the contrary, every one thought, in the
silence:

"What will to-morrow bring forth? Shall I at this hour see the moon
rising among the clouds as I now see her? Will the stars yet shine for
me to see?"

And when, in the dim night, we gazed at the circle of fire which for
nearly six leagues stretched around us, we cried within ourselves:

"Now indeed the world is against us; all nations demand our
extermination; they want no more of our glory!"

But we remembered that we had the honor of bearing the name of
Frenchmen, and must conquer or die.

XIX

In the midst of such thoughts, day broke. Nothing was stirring yet,
and Zebede said:

"What a chance for us, if the enemy should fear to attack us!"

The officers spoke of an armistice; but suddenly about nine o'clock,
our couriers came galloping in, crying that the enemy was moving his
whole line down upon us, and directly after we heard cannon on our
right, along the Elster. We were already under arms, and set out
across the fields toward the Partha to return to Schoenfeld. The
battle had begun.

On the hills overlooking the river, two or three divisions, with
batteries in the intervals, and cannon at the flanks, awaited the
enemy's approach; beyond, over the points of their bayonets, we could
see the Prussians, the Swedes, and the Russians, advancing on all sides
in deep, never-ending masses. Shortly after, we took our place in
line, between two hills, and then we saw five or six thousand Prussians
crossing the river, and all together shouting, "_Vaterland!
Vaterland!_" This caused a tremendous tumult, like that of clouds of
rooks flying north.

At the same instant the musketry opened from both sides of the river.
The valley through which the